I agree with the author and my good colleague Joe Cotruvo. Living in Michigan and being on the Michigan AWWA Board has provided me some insights into the challenges many water utilities besides Flint are facing. The obvious as indicated in the article, is doubt of the veracity of the information given by the regulatory agency or water utility. In addition to the people and children needlessly exposed to lead if proper corrosion control treatment had occurred, is the trust in the water industry. This will make the job of communicating the safety of water and the risks of contaminants to the public that much more difficult. The water industry needs to learn how to better communicate to the public in a way that will instill their trust.
Published by C. Bruce Bartley, President and Senior Technical Officer
I agree with the author and my good colleague Joe Cotruvo. Living in Michigan and being on the Michigan AWWA Board has provided me some insights into the challenges many water utilities besides Flint are facing. The obvious as indicated in the article, is doubt of the veracity of the information given by the regulatory agency or water utility. In addition to the people and children needlessly exposed to lead if proper corrosion control treatment had occurred, is the trust in the water industry. This will make the job of communicating the safety of water and the risks of contaminants to the public that much more difficult. The water industry needs to learn how to better communicate to the public in a way that will instill their trust.